Matu added â€œwith this day of struggle, we want our fight to be known across the country. More than one hundred workers have been furloughed without pay and another hundred workers have been laid off, even though Ford (who buys Lear products) has not seen any drop in their production. It is scandalous that Ford and the Lear Corporation will import products from abroad that Lear now produces in Argentina, while they leave our families in the streets. What they are doing should be called fraud.â€ â€œThe Company is acting illegally. They will not let our elected shop stewards inside the factory, violating our rights. Meanwhile, the Labour Ministry is doing nothing. The SMATA leaders are also refusing to act and are complicit in the layoffs by maintaining their silence.

For these reasons we have organized this national day of struggle for the reinstatement of all the laid off workers and for an end to the illegal furloughs and the attacks against the workersâ€™ representatives.â€